the garden

The gardens of St. Christopher’s Lighthouse are part of the lighthouse premises. They are open to everyone and entrance is free, coinciding with the museum opening times.

Around the lighthouse and the lightkeeper’s house, there is a Mediterranean garden with a row of twenty unique trees. There are French Tamarisks (Tamarix gallica), centenary trees that have been preserved thanks to human action. This species adapts to the saline nature of the soil and the very salty sea breezes, and comes originally from Asia.

The gardens also showcase some large artefacts like anchors and cannons; elements that fishermen and divers have recovered from the sea bed. In this respect, it is worth highlighting the garden’s three canons from the time of Napoleon, which were found by SARC (Centre d’Activitats Recreatives Subaquàtiques – Centre of Recreational Diving Activities) at the beginning of the 80s, in the outlet of river Foix.

One particularly famous anchor was recovered in 1984 and donated to the Museu del Mar by Josep Mars Franch, the owner and captain of the vessel “Griselda Gerard”.  It was recovered on 20 December 1984 at a depth of six fathoms (approx.11 metres). It weighs more than half a tonne and has two complete flukes and part of its large bills, and a long, fine, square-sectioned shank with the iron ring. It was made around 1830.

Another object recovered from the seabed is the anchor from the vessel Sant Miquel, which was found on 17 August in 1989, and donated to the Museu del Mar by Pau Pons, the captain and owner of the vessel “L’avi Pau”. It was found at the bottom of the sea in part of the Mar de Caroba around Vilanova. It is an iron anchor made in the 19th century, and has two flukes or arms with two bills. The shank is 1.50 m. and it has a 2m stock and two riveted shackles, one big and one small and a 1 m chain. Its total weight is half a tonne. The vessel Sant Miquel, was shipwrecked around 1855 at 144 fathoms, in line with the Vilanova bell tower on the Sant Miquel d’Olèrdola mountain and the Más de la Mel pel Bec de la Sípia farmhouse, on the rocky sea bed around Padruell”.

Jardi Espai FarJardi Espai Far